The Guardian view on the WHO pandemic treaty: the west’s fantasy negotiations have put the world at risk | Editorial
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- Covid‑19 pandemic caused deep and lasting damage to the international political system, exposing the global south’s reliance on a broken order.
- Global south countries have stonewalled WHO pandemic treaty negotiations, refusing to accept the same vaccine‑distribution status quo that left them with later, smaller, pricier shipments.
- Europe has been the greatest champion of the treaty process, yet has framed it as a fait accompli while sidestepping the core vaccine‑equity dispute.
- Global north demands that southern states share pathogen data for any new viruses.
- Global south insists on a 20 % allocation of medicines and technology‑transfer guarantees, a demand opposed by the pharmaceutical industry and threatening a stall or collapse of the treaty.
Why it matters: The 20% medicine allocation demand gives low‑income nations a foothold on life‑saving vaccines, while pharma firms risk losing market share and the WHO treaty’s collapse would weaken global health coordination.
